Play Your Cards Right
by Hunger4Righteousness
Summary: Megamind has everything planned to a T to make his Valentine's night out with Roxanne one she will not soon forget. But there are some things even the incredibly handsome genius can't control. Will a change of plans make him change his mind? The story of a date gone wrong... gone right. (Post-movie.)


_I honestly feel goofy posting some of these things sometimes. Especially as I'm aware of the cliche of putting up such a fic near V-day, and that there are any number of similar (and better) ones being posted about now as well! In fact, now that I have my own out of the way, I have some V-day fics to go catch up on for a couple friends. Didn't want any unconscious cross-over or borrowing, so I just had to get this done first before reading. This is a really limited story. Only in Rox's apartment. Only Megs and herself, with Minion and Pinky making cameo appearances. Nothing more than a few hours of a date that went wrong. Nothing really to see here... feel free to move along... But happy belated Valentine's Day, my dear fellow-devotees of blue awesomeness! I'm honored to be in your company. That makes me smile every day. :)_

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><p>He stood waiting with his hands in his pockets, still fuming about Valentine's Day cards. Everything else was ready, arranged just to his liking, so to be stymied by something as simple as a greeting card… he groaned. It was such a small thing, but not having one bugged him tremendously. Probably exacerbated by the extremely tightly-strung state of his nerves. He had sent Roxanne anonymous messages on this holiday for years without a problem. Funny cards, romantic cards, sappy cards; he found and sent them all, always unsigned of course. But this year, <em>this<em> year when it mattered more than ever and everything else was perfect… The door opened and the scowl on his face cleared. "Hi! Are you ready to go?"

She thought he looked so sweet standing there with his wide green eyes regarding her eagerly. And somewhat nervously too. _Well, it is the first Valentine's Day he's officially gotten to celebrate._ Dressed for their dinner date in an expensive dark grey suit that hung on his slender form with a casual grace, she wondered briefly if Minion had had to talk him into wearing it and if he had done the tailoring and noted the usual open top button. Megamind had a thing about wearing ties. Not that she minded, considering the way the parting of that crisp shirt collar framed his long blue neck. It drew her eyes there, right down the line of his goatee, stirring up tactile memories of how his smooth blue skin felt against hers. Forgetting the tired, achy feeling that had been gradually slowing her down over the course of the afternoon, she was glad she'd decided to suck it up instead of calling to beg off. _I'm not feeling that bad. I can make it through dinner_. She wondered how extensive the rest of his plans for the evening were considering Minion's warning.

"Yes! I'b ready. You look great." Tweaking his collar a bit with one hand and rubbing her nose with a tissue she held in the other, she added, "Very hadsome."

"You look gorgeous, as usual." Even as he was taking in the fit of the pale pink sweater dress hugging her curvy form, he frowned at the brighter pink glow around her nose. "But… Roxanne, do you have a cold?"

"I do, bud I'll be all right. Hang on. Let me grab sub bore tissues, and we'll go." She moved from the door into the kitchen, thinking she should have stuffed some in her coat pocket before he got there. And where were those lozenges? They'd ruin the taste of her meal but her throat was just so scratchy. Should she wear a scarf? Hearing the door close, she glanced back at him. "I won'd be a minute. I'b going to grab a muffler too." Minion had hinted they might be outside part of the evening, and perversely it was one of the coldest days of the year as usual. February in Michigan was never very pleasant. Why the heck couldn't Valentine's Day be in summer, for crying out loud?

He watched her moving about. Stuffy nose, sniffing, flushed cheeks that weren't just a sign of excited anticipation. A scarf and tissues? And when she returned to him, yes, he recognized a lingering scent of cherry cough drops. Instead of helping her put her coat on, he put a hand to her cheek. "Do you have a fever?"

"No. Id's just a cold, really." Trying to hold back a cough, she held one of the tissues to her nose and sniffed instead. "I'll be fide."

Brows drawn together, he stood looking at her without answering, thinking of the flowers and the restaurant and... everything. Everything but a card. "All right. Go get changed. We're staying in."

"Megamide! Id's Valentine's Day! I wand to keep our date."

"And we will," he promised, reigning in his own disappointment. "Some _other_ night. If you're not feeling well, I'm certainly not going to drag you out on the town just to fulfill some idealized notion of what couples are supposed to do on this one day." _Even though my notions for this evening involved quite a bit more than you may have expected._

His thoughtfulness was touching which made her all the more unhappy at the prospect of letting him down. "I hade to spoil all your plans."

He looked at her sharply. "What do you mean 'all' my plans?"

"Well, Minion told me-"

"Minion!" he hissed.

Interrupting quickly, she assured him, "He only said you had several things in store for us because he wanded to make sure I was dressed appropriately. You were being so secretive aboud it all, I wasn't sure whad I was supposed do wear. So I appreciated the heads up. Don'd be mad ad him." She smoothed her hands across the shoulders of his suit, looking at it wistfully. It was pretty difficult to get him to dress up like this. "You do look so hadsome. Are you sure you don'd wand to go out?"

He knew they'd be lighting the candles at the little table he'd reserved about now, preparing for them to arrive, string instruments warming up, champagne on ice in a bucket… Minion would probably be checking on the horses at the park… the brainbots fitted with their specialty lights waiting at their stations… for a moment he reconsidered. He had planned it all so carefully… but there was a weary look in her eyes even her artfully applied makeup couldn't hide, and the way she sniffed again dried up his disappointment in concern. "No. I don't. What I want is for you to go get comfy in your pajamas and your robe while I call for take out. We're staying in."

"By pajamas? Bud _you're_ dressed to the nines!"

"This old thing? Oh, I'll just take off the jacket and it'll be comfortable enough for me to lounge in around here with you." It wasn't much of a stretch. The ensemble wasn't uncomfortable although he would always be more at home in his signature black and blue suit. "Go on." He pulled out his cell phone. "I'll just call and cancel our reservations. I think we'll have Chinese instead, if that's ok?"

"Of course, but… Honey, I'b sorry," she told him sadly.

Seeing the stricken look on her face, he stopped and set the phone down before gently pulling her closer with a hand at her waist. Letting his eyes roam over the dress she wore, appreciating how well it accentuated everything beautiful and womanly about her, he smiled. "The whole point of the evening is to spend time with you. And I _still_ will be," he assured her with a kiss to the forehead, "But it'll be just the two of us here instead of going out around a lot of other people." One dark eyebrow rose. "Come to think of it, this does sound like a better idea anyway." She couldn't know that he was feeling a sort of relief at the change of plans. Given a temporary reprieve from the task he'd set for himself, he felt his nervousness subsiding.

As Roxanne made a slight noise as though to protest again, he added, "You're going to get better faster with rest than running around out in the cold anyway. So! It'll be my pleasure to take care of you this evening. And no more arguing." Planting another kiss on her nose, he commanded, "Go change," and watched her reluctantly head to her bedroom to comply.

Shrugging off his jacket, he paused before hanging it on the back of a chair to feel the left-hand pocket and sighed. Well, surely there was a reason. There was always a reason these things happened.

Ensconced in her blue monogrammed robe, Roxanne walked back out into the living room just as he was putting the phone down on the table. Seeing her, he announced cheerfully. "Change of plans – complete!"

"I feel really bad," she admitted, gently blowing her nose for the umpteenth time.

"I can see that. And that's why we're staying here."

"Doh, I mean, about this! Id's just a cold. I doh I sound terrible but it hardly seems bad enough to make you have to break your plans and after we god all dressed up and…. we didn'd even get to go out to ead." She paused. "Maybe we should just go do the restaurand. I cad easily get changed again," she suggested hopefully.

With her makeup and hair done, he thought she looked just as nice wrapped in the soft blue robe as she had in her dress. He remembered the way she had smiled opening it at Christmas, seeing his logo embroidered on it. They hadn't been together very long, and she'd coyly asked, _does this mean you're laying claim to me? Are you planning to plant your initials on me anywhere else?_

_No_, he'd answered. _Well… maybe_. And it was true; he had been tempted to think of it that way. M for Megamind, and M for _**mine**_. My Roxanne. And everyone had better know it. That was partly why he'd wanted to make this particular evening a rather public affair too. But at Christmas he had covered his tracks by saying the robe was the fluffiest, thickest, softest one he could find for her. And that he liked the idea that he could always keep her warm and cozy, even when he wasn't there, while hoping that seeing his M-logo before bed might inspire warm and cozy dreams of him for her too.

What he didn't tell her was that when he had felt that super plush material in the posh shop Wayne had suggested as a likely place to look for a gift, so luxurious and heavy in his hands, his brain had immediately conjured up an almost embarrassingly vivid image of it slowly sliding off her smooth, bare shoulders. And for some reason his daydream had included the M on it too, as clear as day. And he'd been sold. So he'd ordered one for her in his personal colors and with the embroidery the same way he'd seen it in that brief vision. Later, she'd shown him his imaginings had been exactly right. It did slide off of her shoulders very nicely.

_Mmm_. One corner of his lips curled upward, thinking about the promising implications of having her there already ensconced in her robe tonight… _No. Stop that. She's not feeling well. _Mentally kicking himself, he determined he'd have to resist the pre-conceived idea most men succumbed to about what to expect on the day everyone celebrates being in love.

"I don't think so," he declined her repeat offer to go out to eat. "I want to wait until we can do it all as planned because I want you to be able to enjoy it all as much as I will." _At least I hope you will_. "So when you're feeling better, I'll just reschedule everything," he shrugged as though it was nothing. And in a way, it wasn't. Metro Man had foiled more elaborate planning. He was used to things having to be rearranged and rescheduled on the fly, just nothing he cared about quite so much as this evening's program. It was nearly as much of a frustration as it was a relief that he could let go of the courage he'd drummed up.

Roxanne's face bore an expression he knew meant she was considering how to try to talk him into her way of thinking. "We'll re-do the whole date just the way I planned it," he insisted. "But _later_. Now!" He rubbed his hands together and then gently steered her toward the couch. "The first thing I'm going to do is get some decongestant into you. You sound like your head is stuffed full of cotton. Why didn't you take any?"

"I doh I could have, bud sometimes id makes me sleepy," Roxanne complained as she sat down. He had his 'man on a mission' attitude going full blast now, brooking no dissent. All the work he'd probably gone to and on his first _real_ Valentine's Day too. "Guess it doesn't madder dow," she groused, getting another kiss from him before he headed to the bathroom. She advised, "You know, you probably don'd want to kiss me while I've god this."

"Never stopped me before," he called back in a sing-songy voice.

It was true. Last time she'd had a cold, he had gone right on smooching with her as usual despite her warnings and never caught it at all. In fact, she couldn't remember having ever seen him with a cold before. _Maybe he doesn't get them_, she considered, hearing the doorbell.

"That'll be Ming's," he called out, knowing the small restaurant just around the corner would put their only blue client at the top of their delivery list for the fastest possible service. As soon as they recognized his voice on the phone, they always kicked it into high gear. It paid to be famous sometimes. "I'm paying. It's in my right-hand jacket pocket."

She got up and went to his coat, lifting it from the chair. _Wonder if I have any of the non-drowsy stuff in there,_ she wondered as she listened to the sounds of him rummaging through her medicine cabinet. As she reached into a pocket, her hand closed around a small, unexpected shape. With a frown, she pulled it out… and her eyes opened wide as she breathed, "Ohhh…" Wrestling with her initial inclination to lift the lid on the distinctively shaped box, she stared. _No. _Her mouth snapped shut tight._ You can't. Don't ruin his plans even more. His plans. That's why Minion… Oh man…_

She hadn't realized how long she stood there until the doorbell rang again. "Jusd a minute!" Quickly shoving the box back in the pocket with a shaky hand, she fumbled trying to pull his wallet from the other side.

_Uh oh._ He suddenly stopped and turned away from the small cupboard he was searching. _I hope she remembers her left from her right. _Hurrying out, he saw her just holding up a few bills in one hand. Scrutinizing her face quickly, he saw no sign of his surprise being spoiled, so he told her, "I forgot you'd changed into your robe." He laughed with nervous relief. "I can't let you go to the door like that. I'll just… get it myself."

"Sure… ok." Maybe whatever it was was just a gift. Maybe it was a necklace. _They don't come in boxes shaped like that._ Or maybe it was for someone else. _Yeah, right_. _Who? Minion?_ "So, um… whad did you have planned for thdis evening anyway?" she asked innocently as he brought the fragrant brown bag to the table.

"Oh. Well... you know. I wanted to do all the usual things." He stopped short at the thought of the plans he'd made. Yes, they _were_ the usual things. All except for the dang card. Flowers, violins, candles, a carriage ride… Embarrassingly devoid of originality, the whole thing. Didn't Roxanne deserve more? An evening more unique than "the usual"? He walked to the sink and drew a glass of water, then turned and saw her watching him with that sweet little half smile that always made his heart flip-flop. Yes, she did deserve better. She deserved something as special and amazing as she was herself. Suddenly thankful their date had taken a left hand turn, he quickly added, "All except for a card. So… I wrote you a poem myself instead!"

"Really?" She was surprised. His previous attempts at poetry had left her laughing so hard she had to gasp for air. She thought this was supposed to be a serious occasion but grinned in anticipation. "I can'd waid to hear it."

"Ah well, let's eat first. I wouldn't want to ruin your appetite." He didn't have a poem and didn't know why he'd said that and now he needed the time to come up with something, blast it all. He winced.

She laughed. "Id can't be thad bad."

"Hmmm…" he answered noncommittally. "Here are your pills." Mind racing with ideas and nerves piqued once more, another knock at the door made him jump a bit. "Ah! I bet that's Minion."

"I didn'd know you called him," Roxanne said before taking her medicine obediently as he answered it again. "Is he joining us then?"

"No way!" He opened the door to see the metal clad fish waiting patiently.

"Here you are, Sir!" Minion beamed, holding up a massive bunch of red roses and a bottle of champagne and a DVD. "I rescued these from the restaurant," he said handing over the first two items.

"Oh, well done!"

"And I picked out something romantic for you to watch." He smiled over his boss's shoulder at Roxanne before his toothy grin turned into a concerned frown as he added in a half whisper, "Sorry about your plans, Sir."

"No problem, Minion. All for the best; I'll explain later."

"For the best…?"

"Happy Valendine's Day, Minion!" Roxanne called to him just as Megamind turned, shutting the door in his sidekick's face before he could answer her. "Uh! Megs…"

"What?" He looked at her blankly. "Oh." Opening the door to see his henchman looking rather put out, he said, "Happy Valentine's Day, you fantastic fish!" and slammed the door again. He turned to hand her the flowers with an oblivious smile.

Roxanne started to speak, then laughed to herself as she took the bouquet, able to imagine the long-suffering friend of her boyfriend rolling his eyes with a shake of his head before going to catch the elevator.

They ate in a distracted state, the conversation somewhat stilted. Roxanne worried maybe he was upset about his plans being cancelled. _Knowing him, he probably set up something sensational. No wonder he seemed nervous. _Would the delay make him reconsider asking at all? She toyed with her food, wondering what exactly they had been scheduled to enjoy for the night. He usually tried to coordinate everything so precisely that sometimes his efforts to cram too much in ended up rather sweetly comical. And she loved that, finding his fumbling efforts more sincere and endearing than a perfectly executed plan ever could be.

She lifted her loaded fork and looked at it before taking a bite. The steam and the spices speckling the noodles had combined with the pills to finally clear her sinuses_. Of course he thought of this too. Knew it would help. Chinese isn't his favorite. _She looked up at him, picking at his own food._ He always tries so hard… Always does his best, wanting to take care of me. _Even as a villain he'd made sure she was safe no matter how dangerous his schemes appeared to be, and it wasn't until recently she had realized the kidnappings were actually one of the ways he kept watch over her besides being the only way he knew of to have contact with her._ He's come so far. _Flooded with appreciation and affection she watched her blue boyfriend, oblivious of her gaze for the moment, her pleasant contemplation marred only by a renewed sense of disappointment that whatever he'd had in mind had been ruined by a poorly timed virus.

Megamind's brain was in overdrive. Bigger and better ideas for his next attempt to coordinate a proposal distracted him from his meal. The woman he hoped to make his permanently had to have the best. The schemes kept getting bigger and more elaborate - hot air balloon? No. Sky-writing packs on the brainbots, rockets, maybe… laser light show, of course… should he approach the mayor about permits…. but each new idea crumbled when he weighed it against the simple thought of Roxanne. He looked up, seeing her sitting there across from him, the blue of the expensive robe paling in comparison to the blue of her eyes, just like his plans all seemed to pale in comparison to how wonderful she was.

Nothing seemed to be good enough, special enough. And how could he ask her to be his without making the event as spectacular as possible so she would know what she meant to him? Determinedly, he straightened in his chair. He'd just keep trying. He never ran out of ideas, thank goodness, even though the presentation involved in each project he thought of required more elaborate timing and preparation until with the last one he'd nearly worked himself into nervous frenzy just trying to figure out how he could attempt to pull it off… but he would do it. Somehow.

"Megs… Megamind? …Earth to Megamind!"

"Wah? Oh sorry." He hadn't realized he'd been staring at her as the last, most spectacularly intricate scenario he had mentally sketched out that would span a week of planning requiring a domino effect of perfect timing to pull off the ending in a flourish of music, a shower of pseudo-rose petals he would engineer to evaporate and perfume the air before they hit the ground, fountains of water and laser lights combining to create a massive rainbow they would be lifted into on a hovering platform while he popped the question… came crashing down around his ears. He looked at her watching him and thought, _it's still not right_. Then he sighed. "Finished? Let me get these things." Jumping up to clear the table, he ignored her protests that she wasn't helpless. "Never mind. So what exactly did Minion bring us to watch this evening?"

"Um…" Roxanne looked at the DVD and grinned. "_A Fish Called Wanda_."

"What!" He whirled around from the sink. "That's not a romantic movie!"

"Maybe it is to him," she shrugged with a smile. Seeing the exasperated look on his face, she suppressed a giggle and thought of how she loved these two loons.

Megamind rolled his eyes. "He just likes the title."

"Poor Minion! He never gets to celebrate Valentine's Day. Oh well. I have other DVDs here we can watch."

"I think we've seen all yours."

"No… most of them you've only seen part way through. I'm pretty sure that you haven't watched _any_ of them from start to finish."

Megamind looked back at her with a self-conscious smirk. "I suppose that is true." Usually they became too engrossed in each other to bother with a movie, missing parts of it, sometimes most of it. And he knew it. Seeing her knowing smile only made him grin wider, brows raised in frank acknowledgment of the truth. "How can I help it? There's always something better that comes along and distracts me."

"I know," she agreed and walked over to put her arms around him. Her eyes dipped to the hollow at the base of his neck before looking back up at him. "So let's not worry if it's romantic or not. In the end we always make our own entertainment anyway."

"And a hell of a lot better than anything that comes out of Hollywood," he muttered before kissing her. She seemed to be feeling better. "Sounds like you're clearing up a little now," he mentioned, gently poking her nose.

"Yep!" She breathed in deeply. "Thanks to you." She gave him a swift pat on the butt before adding. "But let's put in a movie anyway. We can try to finish _Notorious_. You still haven't guessed what Hitchcock did for his famous twist at the end."

"Puh! A mere moviemaker is no match for my intellect!" He waved a hand dismissively. "I don't care how brilliant he's considered to be."

"What do you think happens then?"

"I prefer to keep my guesses to myself," he sniffed. "I'll let you know if I was right afterward."

Laughing she led the way to her room where her only TV was. As he got the movie ready, she arranged the pillows for them and sat on the bed. "So when do I get to hear this poem that you wrote?"

"Ah! I nearly forgot about that." Actually, he'd been hoping she would forget, since not only didn't he have a poem but his creative ability on that front was particularly atrocious. Serious romantic poetry was definitely not one of his fortes, and he hated to admit it. But turning to see her sitting there, waiting expectantly, he knew whatever he came up with would at least tickle her funny bone. And he loved doing that. "All right…" Leaping catlike up onto the bed, he dropped to his knees, threw out one hand, the other at his chest in a dramatic pose. "Prepare to be astounded and amazed by my incredible literary genius!" Then grinning at her giggling, he moved to sit behind her to act as her personal recliner. He squirmed around, trying to make himself comfortable, and asked, "Where's Pinky?"

"Why do you want her?"

"I'm going to send her for my pajamas. I've had enough of this suit."

"Oh. Pinky," she called. "Good idea. That way you'll be all set if you fall asleep. _When_ you fall asleep," she added hopefully. "Because I hope you're not planning to go back home tonight."

"Not if you don't want me to," he murmured into her hair as she leaned back and his arms closed around her.

"Of course I don't." She twisted to look at him, sensing an opening to persuade him that his plans had been on track all along. "I want you to stay. I always want you to stay."

_How about forever?_ He reached up and smoothing back a lock of her hair they looked at each other. _Why couldn't things have gone right? I'm ready to do this. Now. _

_I wish he'd just ask. I don't know how I'm going to stand waiting until he gets the chance again. Or takes the chance again. If he ever does. _She understood more than anyone except Minion how unsure of himself he could be at times despite his usual bravado. _Come on, Megs... _He was still looking at her, and she tipped her head back a little more to place a kiss at his chin._ Ask me. _

Pinky bumped his arm. He'd been thinking so hard he hadn't noticed her waiting there. Giving her her instructions, he added, "I guess I'd better let her out too. Be right back." Disentangling himself from Roxanne and hopping off the bed, he walked out with the bot and opened the balcony door. As he automatically checked his watch to time her, a habit he had when any brainbot was sent on an errand, his thoughts strayed to the small box in his jacket pocket, still hanging on the back of the chair.

Slowly he walked over and pulled it out, looking at the black, velvety cube. Opening it carefully, he slipped the cold little circle off its satin pillow and onto the end of one blue finger, trying to imagine it on Roxanne's hand. Her beautiful hand… hands that had never shied away from touching him. That soothed him at times with supple grace and encouraged him in other times with gentle firmness. Her hands could inflame him with such intense desire and also such profound calmness and confidence. Suddenly the little circlet he was staring at didn't seem good enough either. He needed a bigger ring to offer her, better… He would find one with more stones. No… he'd _make_ one with a _cluster_ of stones. A rainbow of stones! In a design never seen before. He'd search until he found the rarest, most valuable-

"Megs?"

Startled from his thoughts once again, he pushed the ring back into the box and stuffed it in his coat. "Be right there!" Rings. How could one little ring be enough? They were like those cards, everybody choosing from all the same thing, and he wanted hers to be unique. Now if only he could give her an engagement-_bot_! The brainbots were some of his most amazing inventions. Sentient even. He would have liked to create something for Roxanne as incredible as they were. She already had Pinky for her own, but… His mind began reeling again, wondering if she would like something so unconventional instead of a ring. Or in addition to a ring! He could-

"Why don't we just start the movie while we wait? If the door's unlocked, she can get in by herself." She'd found Pinky's pincer claws were able to manage most doorknobs.

"True." He walked back into the room and repositioned himself as her bedrest. "Go ahead."

She held up the remote control but stopped. "Ah ah! You almost got me. I was waiting for a poem, as I recall." Hearing in the sound of her voice a mischievous smile, he knew that she was expecting to be amused. How did she always seem to know? He couldn't help smiling as well, relaxing at the realization that she wasn't waiting for romantic perfection.

"Ah yes!" he cleared his throat. "The po-em." Darn those ridiculous cards and their trite sentiments. Why couldn't those writers have come up with one single original idea that could express his feelings? He paused and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. It was only a receipt, but he pretended his composition was written there. "Ok… uh. It's a little rough." He began slowly, with exaggerated emphasis as she leaned her head on his chest to listen, one finger reaching up to stroke softly along the skin exposed by his open collar.

_My beautiful Roxanne, my life's greatest joy!_

_The one true love I hold so dear,_

_My heart overflows with grateful affection…_

_When I gaze upon your rear._

He peeked at the area in question appreciatively as he heard her start to chuckle. "Now don't laugh," he scolded. "I wrote this myself." He heard her stifle her snickering before answering as solemnly as she could, "I can tell."

_Your tender touch… oh so thrilling,_

_Each caress of your lovely hands…_

_Not even the massaging seat Minion installed in the invisible car_

_Is more stimulating to my reproductive glands!_

Roxanne's ribcage contracted with a quick snort. With a supreme effort she managed not to make any further noise, but closed her eyes, bit her lip, and slowly shook her head as he continued.

_Your lips are a taste of heaven,_

_My deepest pleasure to fulfill their sweet requests_

_And I find myself quite breathless_

_at the sight of your magnificent… haaair...?_

Roxanne spluttered and sat up to look at him wide-eyed as he drew out the last word uncertainly. Squinting down at the misleading paper instead of at her, he muttered, "I couldn't quite come up with a good word there… but I believe I just thought of one… kinda fits better…" He shook the little paper out and cleared his throat as she completely lost the battle not to laugh. An answering chuckle rumbled in his chest before he continued. "I'll go back and reread that part again to you later. Ahem!" Scooting around to sit in front of her so he could enjoy her amusement, he took her hand in his and continued to pretend to read, thinking fast and looking up at her as he emphasized each word meaningfully.

_No matter if we are apart…. or together,_

_Every beat of my heart intones_

_That forever I will _only_ want you… my angel, my darling…_

He looked up then and paused, staring deeply into her eyes, and for a moment Roxanne wondered if his silly rhyming was about to take a more serious turn.

_You really know how to rev up my hormones!_

The deadpan delivery in his low voice undid her completely at last. "_Megs!_ HAahahaha!"

Watching her crack up, he grinned to himself. Making her laugh filled him with the most amazing joy he'd ever known. He wanted to make her this happy every day, and to have the security and peace he felt in return every day too. Could she ever… would she think of it that way? Understand how much more meaningful his life was with her in it? He never wanted to lose that. Lose her.

And that was the gamble of asking that incredibly presumptuous question. What if she was satisfied just enjoying their time together without a commitment? The old ball and chain. A life sentence without the possibility of parole. Surely there were other men who could make her happy. Happier maybe. And give her so much more too… and were human, no complications of being a hero or an alien or…

His happiness blew away, overshadowed and turning cold like a cloud had come across the sun. He leaned toward her and kissed her lightly, wishing he could blurt out all of his fears the way he sometimes did, seeking her opinion and her reassurance in the calm, rational way she always approached everything. But he couldn't this time. And what if she said no? There was no way they could just continue on in the same way afterward. Everything would be different. It would always hang over their heads, possibly even become a wedge between them.

Miserable with his own vacillations, he just couldn't bring himself to risk what they had. No longer smiling, he reached to cradle her cheek and rubbed his thumb along that peachy skin, seeing her still chuckling at him. No, he couldn't risk ruining this. He felt her hands pull him forward at the neck to kiss again as her laughter subsided.

"I think that rates as your greatest poetic endeavor yet!"

"Ah well. It'll never make it onto a Hallmark card."

"Oh, it was so much better than any card could have been."

"Did you know… all those anonymous greetings you used to get on Valentine's Day? Those were from me?"

"No, I didn't. But I should have guessed by now."

"And today, I _did_ try to find you a card again," he griped suddenly. "I must have looked through hundreds. Thousands, it seemed like! All that sappy… _wordiness_ out there," he complained with a wave of a long slender hand and a frown into space as he recalled the time he spent in his fruitless search. Then he looked back at her again. "And most of it saying nothing! Suddenly this year…nothing was… right." With a slight shrug, he shook his head. "Nothing was good enough. Not for you."

Roxanne smiled at the thought of him trying so hard to find just what he wanted to say in someone else's prose. How could he have ever thought he would when he was such a unique individual himself? One and only – original in every way.

Seeing the corners of her blue eyes crinkling at him, he took her hands in his. "I guess somebody else's words could never explain how much I love you. What you mean to me."

"Exactly. They couldn't. But I liked that poem even better than anything you could have bought from a store, no matter how sappy."

"You're too kind." He looked down at her hands, feeling like a failure again, and swallowed. "I wanted to make today really special for you."

Regretfully she sighed. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I wish I wasn't sick and-"

"No." The green eyes looked back up at her. "No, it doesn't have anything to do with that. I mean… I wanted to make it _really_ special." He stopped uncertainly, hesitating.

Roxanne knew what he meant but said nothing. She wasn't supposed to know, and it was so hard to keep from blurting out the wrong thing and spoiling his surprise. _Oh, I wish you'd just ask me!_

"I had a lot of things planned for tonight," he began again. "But now… after thinking about it… I guess I'm kind of glad it fell through."

Her heart plummeted. "Why?" she asked in a small voice.

"I realize now it was… it was like those cards," he admitted, shrugging in his exasperation. "It wasn't good enough. Just trite clichés I had bought into. And all night I've been thinking of what I could do instead for our next date. How I could try to make a day for you that… well, that you deserve. That's as amazing, as wonderful… as _perfect_ as you are." He stared hard at her. "But I can't. I can't even think of anything that would come close." His face was a picture of dejection.

"Megamind… this _is_ perfect."

"What is?"

"Tonight."

He frowned. "How could it be?"

Putting her hands alongside that blue face she was so crazy about, she smiled at the confusion she saw there as she explained. "You've given me your best! Changed your plans. Not a single complaint to make me feel guilty about it when I know you went to a lot of work. You've taken care of me with as much patience and sweetness as you possibly could. Even chose something for dinner that helped my cold, don't think I didn't notice." He grinned. "Wrote poetry for me miles better than any card you could have found. Made me laugh…" She stopped and watched him thinking about what she was saying. "I don't need you to do amazing, spectacular, outrageous things to show me how much you love me. You do that just by being you. _You_ are amazing, spectacular… and, yeah ok, pretty outrageous enough all by yourself." The corner of his mouth curled up and the blush over his cheeks and ears deepened. "You made this evening perfect just by being you. I don't need – I don't even _want_ anything else."

_This is why,_ he thought, staring into her eyes as he pulled her over to sit across his lap. _She sees me the way I am, stripped back to nothing. And she still loves me_. "Roxanne…"

"Yes?" she answered quietly, hearing the eagerness in her own voice and searching his face as she rested her arms around his shoulders.

Swallowing without taking his gaze from her, he opened his mouth to speak and stopped. _What if she does say no? What if I'm wrong, again, and she doesn't want this?_

_Come on! Ask me. _She tried to look encouraging while saying nothing. The tenseness in her chest as she unconsciously held her breath made her feel like she could bust.

He was still staring at her as he reached to stroke her cheek with the back of his fingers and whispered, "I love you… _so_ much…"

_Oh, sweetness, give it up already!_ "I love you, Megamind… you know I do. I've never loved anyone like this before." _Get it, bud? Take the hint._ She added slowly, "And I can't imagine ever loving anyone else."

_Anyone else._ His throat didn't seem to want to work right. It felt too dry, and his voice croaked as he admitted, "I, um… I wanted to ask you something."

Seeing that silly Adam's apple bob, her smile broadened involuntarily. "Ask me," she whispered.

_Does she know?_ He seemed to be trembling inside but frozen. He could barely breathe. "But I don't want to lose you." The hushed words tumbled out in a rush, almost too quiet to hear while the fear in his eyes made their meaning plain anyway and sliced across her heart like a papercut. A slight, unexpectedly sharp pain.

Pressing her lips into his, she wished she knew how to take away every doubt he had. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close, kissing him over and over until she stopped feeling like tears might ruin the moment and her composure. _Why is this so emotional?_ She withdrew from his kisses just enough to see his blue lips below her lashes, her own cheek nearly touching his. "Megamind, you are _ne-ver_ going to lose me." She kissed his cheekbone, warm skin smooth against her lips, and repeated deliberately, "Never. Never. Never."

Each slow repetition seemed to make him relax and melt into her heartfelt reassurances a little more and a little more. His hands flat against her back pressed her closer to him. He tenderly rubbed his nose along her face with the beginnings of a smile, confidence building again. "Rox."

"Yes." She pulled away to look at him.

"Um." His confidence wavered again maddeningly.

"_Yes_, Megs."

It sounded like an answer and not a question. _Does she know? Of course, she probably does. She's sharp as a tack, and I've been acting like an idiot. I've totally screwed this up. _His face fell blank and solemn. "I want…" He swallowed again, wishing his throat didn't feel so tight. "I want to be with you forever." Seeing her smile wider, he plunged ahead although he still had half a mind to wait and make it all a big production. _No. No stopping now_. "I need you to be mine forever. I need you…" Tears seemed to be glinting in Roxanne's eyes. _Tears? Is that a good sign?_ A sudden bleak despair turned his blood cold, but the words were already slipping out. "I want you to be my wife." _That was pathetic. She's going to say no._

"Yes."

Sitting very still, he stared. She stared back, smiling. _Did she understand what I was asking?_ "Will you marry me?"

"YES!" Throwing herself at him, she hugged him fiercely and laughed.

The look of disbelief on his face matched what he felt inside even as he squeezed her back, eyes wide. "Really?"

"Yes!" she repeated happily, squeezing him tighter than he thought she was capable of doing.

When she finally pulled away, he could still see tears in her eyes, but he'd never seen her look so happy before. _I did it. And she said yes! _"Yes..." He still looked stunned.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Giving him a kiss, she realized he was still in shock. _I'll just keep saying it until it sinks in_.

It did as with a huge sigh he finally relaxed. "You said yes… Oh my gosh, you said _yes,_ and we're going to get married!" She finally saw the realization hit him and excitement brighten his features as he put his hands on either side of her face. His eyes practically glowed, and she laughed again merrily.

"I did, and we are!"

"Ha HA!" Holding her tightly, he rolled over on the bed with her, over and over, until they nearly fell off the other side, laughing like crazy. "Oh, you're amazing…" He kissed her and stopped to look down on her lying under him, grinning back. "I adore you."

She lifted her head to softly kiss him. "Megamind, I am _so_ glad you asked," she said when he suddenly leaped off the bed.

"Oh for heaven's sake! I almost forgot!"

Roxanne raised up on one arm, shaking her head as he scurried out of the room.

"So much for planning!" he groused as he came back in, tiny box in his palm. Taking her hand, she sat on the side of the bed. "Let me at least do part of it right." Then kneeling down in front of her he opened it to show her the ring. "Maybe I should get you a different one," he suggested, looking down at the tiny circle as she awed over it. "Something a little bigger and-"

"I want this one!" she snatched the box and held it to her chest. "It's beautiful, and it's just right." Never one for showy jewelry, she preferred understated pieces of good quality, and what he'd picked was exactly to her liking. An offset channel of intensely blue diamonds trailed up each side of the platinum band etched with the faintest of swirls and whorls that reminded her of miniature galaxies, curling up to encircle an impressive trilliant cut white diamond that seemed to be suspended by the barest touch of the metal in three places. "I love it," she assured him with a kiss. "So… how long did it take you to pick it out?" she asked casually, thinking of his indecisiveness about cards.

He chuckled. "Only forever. Ask Minion. I think I nearly drove him insane searching through hundreds of them. Then we got it, but I still wasn't very happy with it and decided to do a little customization." He pointed out the etching.

"Well, that's hardly a surprise," she teased, pleased he'd added his own touches to it to make it uniquely hers.

"No, it's not, but I suppose I did obsess a little. Or a lot. After a while he said-" He stopped. "Uh oh. Minion."

"What about him?"

"He's going to be so disappointed."

"Why?" She thought their best friend would be pleased to find out about the engagement.

He looked at her gravely. "He was so excited about his part in helping to surprise you. I hate to have to tell him I've already done the deed."

Roxanne thought a moment. She didn't want to steal his joy any more than Megamind did. "Well… don't tell him then. And we'll just have to have that date after all." She grinned. "As far as he knows, we're not engaged. Yet."

"But then… you can't wear the ring yet either. Dead give away."

Roxanne sighed looking down at it sparkling like fire on her finger just from the light of the television in the room. "Yeah. You're right. Can I wear it just for tonight?"

"Of course, as long as you help me remember to take it home with me tomorrow." Thoughtfully he mentioned, "That'll give me some time to change it up a little too. I think I'll-"

"Megs, no!" she protested. "No changes. Honestly, I want it just the way it is!" She was holding the ring hand in her other hand close to her heart as though trying to protect it from his nefarious designs, and he chuckled.

"Ok! Ok. I guess there are always anniversaries to play around with other ideas." He was simply unable to resist thinking of bigger and better gifts. They smiled at each other. "Anniversaries… wow... and holidays… and your birthday…" Years to spend with her, this person he adored and who adored him back. It was like heaven suddenly opened up before him, spreading into the distance as far as he could see. He looked down at the ring on her hand and lifted it to his lips to place a kiss over as though sealing it there. "The best is yet to come. I promise." Then he looked up and kissed her sweetly, breathing against her lips, "I love you…"

She pulled him close as he still knelt before her. "I love you." His hands slipped around her waist as she kissed him again and added sincerely, "_Thank you_ for the absolute best Valentine's Day."

He kissed her back slowly, gently, taking his time appreciating every little detail of the way she felt and responded to him, inching closer as he did so. He murmured around their kisses, "I can't help still wishing I could have done more."

"Well, you still have some options…" she suggested coyly.

"Hmm!"_ I know that tone! Must be feeling a little better. This is promising_. "You know," he casually mentioned, trailing his fingers seductively over the plush material wrapped around her curves. "This is a really nice robe."

"It is. And you picked it out for me."

"Mmhmm," he said, sliding his hand smoothly down her arm, lifting her fingers on top of his to his lips again. "But I was kind of wondering what you put on underneath… because my magic watch here says you're not wearing any underwear."

Roxanne pretended to be shocked. "Yes, I am!"

"Oh, you are?" He looked down at his wrist. "It must be fifteen minutes fast."

Through her laughter she caught sight of him wickedly grinning just before feeling herself lifted and tossed back onto the bed. "Let me try reciting that poem again…"


End file.
